Conservation Advocacy

Atlanta Audubon Society is the leading voice for the birds in Atlanta and north Georgia. Atlanta Audubon watches vigilantly for harmful activities that could affect birds or undermine the integrity of bird habitat. Many birds found in Georgia are migratory and stop in Georgia only briefly before continuing their journey to other continents. Therefore, our work to inform decision makers about legislation and policies that benefit or threaten birds and their habitat involves local, state, national, and, occasionally, international concerns.

From clean air and water to support for the nation’s iconic national parks and national wildlife refuges to climate change and pesticide use, many of the same issues that touch people also touch birds. In addition, protections for birds conferred by such milestone legislation as the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act and the Endangered Species Act have long-term implications for people along with more immediate impact on birds.

Get Involved

​We depend on our growing list of Audubon Ambassadors to help us safeguard birds and bird habitats. Our Ambassadors help strengthen the work of Atlanta Audubon by monitoring topics or areas of interest to them and reporting back to the Advocacy Committee. If you are interested in becoming an Audubon Ambassador, please email Amanda Woomer, Advocacy Chair.

Current Issues

Georgia’s economy and quality of life are directly tied to both the water quality of our rivers, lakes and streams and the availability and beauty of our outdoor spaces, wildlife habitats and parks. This November, Georgians have an historic opportunity to pass the Georgia Outdoor Stewardship Amendment and protect our waters and lands by constitutionally dedicating a portion of the existing sales tax on outdoor sporting goods without raising any taxes or creating new fees.

If passed, this funding would:

Protect lands critical to clean drinking water and the quality of Georgia’s lakes, rivers and streams

Acquire and improve parks and trails for children, families and outdoor enthusiasts to enjoy in communities throughout the state

Maintain and improve access to wildlife management areas and create new opportunities for hunting and fishing

Support Georgia’s $27 billion outdoor recreation industry and the jobs it and the other economic sectors that rely upon access to land and water create

If passed, the Georgia Outdoor Stewardship Amendment would dedicate up to 80% of the existing sales and use tax on outdoor sporting goods to the protection of the state’s lands, water, and wildlife without raising or creating any new taxes or fees.

Over $20 million would be dedicated every year for the next ten years. This funding could not be used for any other purpose and would be subject to strict accountability provisions and public disclosure. Only projects consistent with the state’s established goals for conservation would be approved.

The Georgia Outdoor Stewardship Amendment is supported by a coalition of leading conservation organizations including The Conservation Fund, Georgia Conservancy, Georgia Wildlife Federation, The Nature Conservancy, Park Pride, and The Trust for Public Land. Learn more at GeorgiaOutdoorStewardship.org

Atlanta Audubon supports the Georgia Outdoor Stewardship Act.

Migratory Bird Treaty Act

One of the nation’s strongest bird conservation laws, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act is under attack. The Act is our nation’s cornerstone bird conservation law. Passed in 1918, it is on the eve of its 100th anniversary, and has seen decades of success conserving birds and bringing numerous species back from the brink of extinction. The law makes it illegal to kill most native bird species without a valid permit.

The U.S. Congress and the Department of the Interior are proposing to severely undermine this important bill. The House Committee on Natural Resources has included an amendment in the Energy Bill, H.R. 4239, and the Department of the Interior has issued a new policy directive that would absolve oil and gas companies from responsibility for bird deaths in oil pits, on power lines, and from other energy-related infrastructure. If passed, this would be a disaster for birds as energy companies would no longer be penalized for unintended bird deaths that result from their activities.

Please take action today and tell Congress and the Administration to fight for migratory birds and oppose changes to the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. You can learn more about this issue and contact your elected representative at https://abcbirds.org/action/petition-mbta.

Atlanta Audubon Opposes Changes to the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

OIl and Gas exploration off georgia coast

Atlanta Audubon Society has joined National Audubon Society, 100 Miles Georgia, Sierra Club, the Georgia Conservancy, Environment Georgia, Center for a Sustainable Coast, 141 cities and counties including Georgia communities Savannah, Brunswick, Hinesville, St. Mary’s, Kingsland, Porterdale, and Tybee Island, and a long list of other conservation organizations and coastal communities in opposing a proposal by the Administration to vastly expand oil drilling off of America’s beaches and coasts, including Georgia’s 100-mile coastline.

The proposed plan includes parts of the outer continental shelf (OCS) along the Arctic, Atlantic, and Pacific coasts. Atlantic seabirds and shorebirds that would be especially at-risk from offshore oil and gas development include Red Knots, Piping Plovers, American Oystercatchers, Greater Shearwaters, Sooty Shearwaters, and Roseate Terns.

National Audubon Society and other organizations are encouraging the current Administration to limit offshore drilling to locations where leases are already active. Expanding lease sales to sensitive marine areas off the Arctic, Atlantic and Pacific coasts threatens critical bird habitat as well as the economic viability of hundreds of coastal communities.

Atlanta Audubon staff, board members, and volunteers attended a public hearing on this issue on February 28 to meet with representatives from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and express our concerns about the plan. In addition, Atlanta Audubon submitted a letter to the BOEM asking that the Georgia coast be excluded from the drilling proposal due to both the lack of oil resources off our coast and because of the risk posed to birds and other wildlife. In addition, an action alert was sent to Atlanta Audubon members and subscribers encouraging them to submit comments to the BOEM prior to the March 9 deadline. We will continue to monitor this issue as it develops.​Atlanta Audubon opposes drilling off the Georgia Coast and encourages the Administration to limit drilling to areas where leases are already active.

Parks as Habitat

Atlanta Audubon mission is to build places where birds and people thrive. To this end, we support efforts to create and build parks that provide greenspace for people and native plants for birds and other wildlife.

​Camden County Spaceport

Camden County, Ga. has submitted a proposal to build a Spaceport, or rocket launch facility, at an abandoned munitions plant, owned by Union Carbide Corporation, in a rural location four miles west of Cumberland Island National Seashore. The proposal is an economic development tool to bring jobs and industry to the area. The proposed Spaceport would be located east of I-95 and border the Saint Andrews Sound, a dynamic body of water which touches several islands, including Cumberland Island, Little Cumberland Island, Jekyll Island and Raccoon Key, and one which contains the extensive and high-functioning estuary of the Satilla River. The launch trajectory would take rockets directly over the Cumberland Island National Seashore and Wilderness Area.

Cumberland Island is home to pristine maritime forests, undeveloped beaches, and extensive salt marshes, and supports a rich biodiversity of wildlife and plants. These habitats are crucial to birds because of their natural and pristine state. Cumberland is a hotspot for migratory birds; being Georgia’s southernmost barrier island, it is tremendously important stopover for thousands of birds, like the Blackpoll Warbler, Red Knot, and Peregrine Falcon, where they first make landfall after endless hours of flight or fuel up before their long open water journey back to South America.

Cumberland Island is also an important breeding ground in the spring and summer for many species of birds, including the threatened Least Tern and Wilson’s Plover. During the winter, Cumberland provides exceptional wintering grounds for thousands of shorebirds, wading birds, sparrows, and Bald Eagles.

A draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) was released in March 2018. In June 2018, Atlanta Audubon Society submitted comments to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) with the following concerns regarding the proposal:

There is minimal to nonexistent discussion in the EIS of significant bird sites in the vicinity, including Brown Pelican rookeries, nearby Bald Eagle nesting sites, as well as nesting sites for the Least Terns, Wilson’s Plovers, American Oystercatchers, and other shorebird species. ​

The EIS does not address impact of extreme short-term noise events, sonic booms, or the potential vibration and exhaust emissions resulting from launch, landing, or testing at the proposed facility. If nesting shorebirds are disturbed even for a short-term event, it will lead to chick mortality. To this end, the EIS also does not address potential impacts on Right Whale calving grounds. A critically endangered mammal, the Right Whale can ill afford additional stressors to its environment. More research needs to be conducted on the potential impacts of vibration/noise to birds and wildlife in the affected area.

Georgia’s barrier islands, including Cumberland Island, were recently designated as a Landscape of Hemispheric Importance by the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network. Georgia’s coast is one of only 100 of these sites in the world. Cumberland Island is also a globally significant Important Bird Area. The nutrient-rich salt marshes surrounding our coastal barrier islands are of critical importance not only to birds, but also to other wildlife species, including mammals, fish, amphibians, invertebrates, and others. Atlanta Audubon is concerned about the potentially devastating impacts to the salt marshes and estuaries due to routine operations and/or catastrophic failures.

The Georgia coast is a destination for birders, vacationers, wildlife watchers, and outdoor recreation. According to the Georgia Department of Economic Development, tourism in Georgia is a $60.8 billion industry. In Camden County alone, tourism brings in $86.9 million per year in tourism revenue. The EIS does not take into consideration the potential impacts of the spaceport on coastal Georgia tourism, including the Colonial Coast Birding Trail, the Georgia Bluewater Trail, Cumberland Island visitation, or other outdoor-oriented tourist destinations.

Atlanta Audubon Society opposes the Camden County Spaceport and encourages the Federal Aviation Administration to reject this proposal.

Past and Ongoing Conservation Issues

Red Knot by Dan Vickers

Atlanta Audubon has spoken out on the following conservation issues:

Wetlands and Clean Water

Neotropical Migratory Birds Conservation Act

Endangered Species Act

Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels

Transmission Lines/Wind Power

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

Neonicotinoids in plants that affect birds and other pollinators

Marsh Development Setback rules on Georgia coast

Our Values

The following are a list of values for which Atlanta Audubon Society advocates. These values guide us in our programmatic work:

We believe that where birds thrive, people thrive

We believe everyone in Metro Atlanta should have access to bird-friendly habitats, as the benefits of healthy bird populations and high bird diversity are exceptional, irreplaceable, and invaluable to all members of the community

We believe in maximizing the number of native plants in any outdoor space

We believe that maximizing structural diversity of a small habitat is the best strategy for encouraging use by a variety of Piedmont bird species

We believe in maximizing the urban/suburban tree canopy

We believe in minimizing sterile, monoculture outdoor spaces, including large swaths of turf grass, for the benefit of birds, insects, and other wildlife

We believe in minimizing the number of exotic plants in any outdoor space

We believe in managing invasive native plants to allow for a higher diversity of native plants

We believe in eliminating the widespread use of chemical pesticides, herbicides, and rodenticides in the environment. We understand and support the limited, responsible use of targeted herbicides for habitat restoration and management in controlling exotic and invasive species

Domestic and feral cats are not a part of the natural ecosystem. We believe that domestic cats should be kept indoors and that outdoor feral cat colonies should not be supported in any way

We believe in taking action to reduce bird-building collisions and other hazards to birds in the built environment

We believe that new development can be bird-safe and encourage the use of techniques that reduce loss of natural habitat and use of materials and design that minimizes bird collisions

We believe in reducing the effects of climate change in order to reduce the negative shifts and potential collapse of local bird populations

Support on Local Issues

While there are many worthy causes that warrant attention, due to limited resources Atlanta Audubon Society has a decision making rubric we employ to determine conservation issues on which we will speak out. Generally, we will only offer support on issues that will have broad impacts on Atlanta birds and their habitats. We do not get involved in local property issues.If you’re looking for additional support, here are some resources that might be helpful:

Atlanta Audubon Society is a member-supported, 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization dedicated to building places where birds and people thrive. We envision a conservation-minded and fully engaged Georgia where birds prosper, habitats flourish, and public understanding grows.